Zumba teacher could get jail in prostitution case PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The dance instructor who used her Zumba fitness studio as a front for prostitution faces jail time after pleading guilty in a case that captivated a quiet seaside town known for its beaches and picturesque homes. The plea agreement, which calls for a 10-month sentence, spares Alexis Wright from the prospect of a high-profile trial featuring sex videos, exhibitionism and pornography. She’s scheduled to be sentenced on May...

3 dozen indicted in Atlanta cheating scandalATLANTA (AP) — In another embarrassing blow to Atlanta public schools, nearly three dozen former educators, including the ex-superintendent, were indicted Friday in one of the nation’s largest test cheating scandals. Former Superintendent Beverly Hall faced charges including racketeering, false statements and theft because prosecutors said some of the bonuses she received were tied to falsified scores. Hall retired just days before a state pro...

Unemployment fell in February in 22 US states WASHINGTON (AP) — Unemployment rates fell in 22 U.S. states in February from January, a sign that hiring gains are benefiting many parts of the country. The Labor Department said Friday that unemployment rates rose in 12 states and were unchanged in 16. Nationally, the unemployment rate slid to a four-year low of 7.7 percent in February, down from 7.9 percent in January. Since November, employers across the country have added an average of 200...

Oklahoma: Dental clinic inspections not necessary TULSA, Okla. (AP) — The Oklahoma agency that accused a Tulsa oral surgeon of unsanitary practices, putting thousands of people at risk for hepatitis and HIV, says it’s never needed to inspect medical offices regularly. “This doesn’t happen,” Susan Rogers, the executive director of the Oklahoma Board of Dentistry, said Friday. “There’s not been a need for these inspections because we’ve never had a complaint like this.” That’s not unusual. Some...

US consumer spending, income jump in February WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers stepped up spending in February after their income jumped, aided by a stronger job market that offset some of the drag from higher taxes. The gains led economists to predict stronger economic growth at the start of the year. Consumer spending rose 0.7 percent in February from January, the Commerce Department said Friday. It was the biggest gain in five months and followed a revised 0.4 percent rise in January, ...

Cleaner gas rule would mean higher price at pump WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration’s newest anti-pollution plan would ping American drivers where they wince the most: at the gas pump. That makes arguments weighing the cost against the health benefits politically potent. The proposal to reduce sulfur in gasoline and tighten auto emission standards, released Friday, would raise gasoline prices by less than a penny per gallon, the Environmental Protection Agency says. But the oil indus...

Crisis hotlines turning to text to reach teens NEW YORK (AP) — They stream in from teens around the United States, cries for help often sent in by text message. “I feel like committing suicide,” one text read. “What’s the suicide hotline number?” Another asked: “How do you tell a friend they need to go to rehab?” DoSomething.org, an organization that encourages activism among young adults, gets plenty of text messages asking for help, but it isn’t a hotline. So the nonprofit’s CEO, Nancy L...

Scooter ads face scrutiny from government, doctors WASHINGTON (AP) — TV ads show smiling seniors enjoying an “active” lifestyle on a motorized scooter, taking in the sights at the Grand Canyon, fishing on a pier and high-fiving their grandchildren at a baseball game. The commercials, which promise freedom and independence to people with limited mobility, have driven the nearly $1 billion U.S. market for power wheelchairs and scooters. But the spots by the industry’s two leading companies, The ...

Business, labor close on deal for immigration bill WASHINGTON (AP) — Big business and major labor unions appeared ready Friday to end a fight over a new low-skilled worker program that had threatened to upend negotiations on a sweeping immigration bill in the Senate providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants already in the U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who’s been brokering talks between the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement that negotiat...

Obama pitches public works spending to create jobs MIAMI (AP) — Trying to show that the economy remains a top priority, President Barack Obama promoted a plan Friday to create construction and other jobs by attracting private money to help rebuild roads, bridges and other public works projects. Obama fleshed out the details during a visit to a Miami port that’s undergoing $2 billion in upgrades paid for with government and private dollars. The quick trip was designed to show that the economy a...

Neither party has cash for student loan rate fix WASHINGTON (AP) — Incoming college freshmen could end up paying $5,000 more for the same student loans their older siblings have if Congress doesn’t stop interest rates from doubling. Sound familiar? The same warnings came last year. But now the presidential election is over and mandatory budget cuts are taking place, making a deal to avert a doubling of interest rates much more elusive before a July 1 deadline. “What is definitely clear, this...

Freeway chase led to ex-Nevada lawmaker’s arrest LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hours after he became the first person in Nevada history to be kicked out of the state Legislature, an embattled former lawmaker led police on a chase on a freeway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles that ended with a violent struggle with uniformed officers. Steven Brooks was subdued with punches and a Taser, arrested at gunpoint and jailed in California’s San Bernardino County after police say he attacked a police dog with a w...

Man, 86, gets probation in Arizona mercy killing PHOENIX (AP) — There was no doubt 86-year-old George Sanders killed his ailing wife. Yet everyone in the small Arizona courtroom — the prosecutor, the judge and even the couple’s family members — agreed it was a time for compassion, not punishment. “My grandfather lived to love my grandmother, to serve and to make her feel as happy as he could every moment of their life,” Sanders’ grandson, Grant, told the judge, describing the couple’s life t...

Risk and reward at the dawn of civilian drone age WASHINGTON (AP) — The dawn of the age of aerial civilian drones is rich with possibilities for people far from the war zones where they made their devastating mark as a weapon of choice against terrorists. The unmanned, generally small aircraft can steer water and pesticides to crops with precision, saving farmers money while reducing environmental risk. They can inspect distant bridges, pipelines and power lines, and find hurricane victims st...

Confederate flag at old NC Capitol coming down RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A Confederate battle flag hung inside the old North Carolina State Capitol last week to mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War is being taken down after civil rights leaders raised concerns. The decision was announced Friday evening, hours after the Associated Press published a story about the flag, which officials said was part of an historical display intended to replicate how the antebellum building appeared in 1863...

Lawmakers tighten belts amid automatic budget cuts WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of Congress are traveling less and worrying more about meeting office salaries. Their aides are contending with long lines to get inside their offices and fewer prospects of a raise. Such are the indignities thrust upon the men and women who brought the country $85 billion in government spending cuts this month. There probably won’t be much sympathy for a senator or congressman making $174,000 a year who is in no dang...

Philadelphian jumps on tracks to help fallen man PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A recovering drug addict with a long rap sheet who was hailed as a hero for jumping onto subway tracks to rescue a man who walked off a platform deflected the praise Friday by saying he was just doing the “right thing.” Still, Christopher Knafelc suggested that he views the good deed he did, and the praise that followed, as another sign that he is on the right path in life. “It did help reinforce that I’m a good person,” Kn...

HIV test urged for 7,000 Oklahoma dental patients TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Health officials on Thursday urged thousands of patients of an Oklahoma oral surgeon to undergo hepatitis and HIV testing, saying unsanitary conditions behind his office’s spiffy facade posed a threat to his clients and made him a “menace to the public health.” State and county health inspectors went to Dr. W. Scott Harrington’s practice after a patient with no known risk factors tested positive for both hepatitis C and the...

40 years on, Vietnam troop withdrawal remembered Forty years ago, soldiers returning from Vietnam were advised to change into civilian clothes on their flights home because of fears they would be accosted by protesters after they landed. For a Vietnamese businessman who helped the U.S. government, a rising sense of panic set in as the last combat troops left the country on March 29, 1973 and he began to contemplate what he’d do next. A North Vietnamese soldier who heard about the withdrawal ...

10 Things to Know for Thursday, March 28, 2013Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today (times EDT): 1. PRAYERS URGED FOR MANDELA The anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first black president has had a recurrence of a lung infection. 2. BANKS IN CYPRUS REOPEN Cypriot banks are open for the first time since March 16, with customers now able to access their accounts - with restrictions. 3. THIS POPE IS NOT LIKE THE OTH...